Your Repairs is all about celebrating those who use their spare time and Haynes Manuals to repair and improve their pride and joy.
DIY champion: David Villegas, South Australia
Vehicle: 2012 Holden Colorado
David Villegas is a lucky chap. Why? Well, it’s because he gets to explore South Australia whenever he likes, because that’s where he lives.
And the vehicle he uses to head off into the middle of nowhere (or to the nearest beach) is a 2012 Holden Colorado pick-up truck. Cool.
David’s truck is the Colorado RG, so the second generation. It has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel under the bonnet, which is ideal for low-rev mud-plugging and off-roading.
However, the work-hard-play-hard lifestyle does tend to take its toll on mechanical things, and when the starter motor on David’s truck packed up, he had to change it.
Just as well he’d invested in the Haynes manual for the Colorado RG then. David followed our step-by-step guide, and soon enough the starter was changed. The job wasn’t entirely straightforward, but as David says: “The access to the bolts was the most difficult part but nothing that a bit of creativity and the right tools didn’t fix.”
And off he went, into the wilds once more. But then the Colorado’s auxiliary belt started to make a noise. Since becoming stranded in the Australian countryside comes with certain risk (namely multi-legged things with poison for dental floss), David decided it would be better to change not only the belt but also all the associated pulleys and tensioner.
Again, the Haynes manual came to David’s aid, so he was able to swap everything and get everything tightened back up again to the correct torque.
Once that was done, the open spaces of South Australia beckoned once more, although David remains cautious: “Now that my car is getting old I keep the manual handy so it gets me out of trouble when we go 4wheeling and camping.”
We think David’s tale is great. Just investing in a manual and some basic tools not only saves you money in the long run, it gets you back to the business of having fun in a much shorter timeframe than waiting for a workshop appointment would.
So, we’d love you to show us what you’re working on and how you’re using Haynes to help you out.
Just send us a few details about yourself and your vehicle to yourrepairs@haynes.co.uk
Tell us about any issues you’ve encountered or any problems you foresee, plus a few pictures, and we’ll feature you on our website and social channels.
After all, fixing your vehicle isn’t actually that difficult, and can bring both a confidence boost and genuine delight. It will also save you a whole load of money, so let’s tell everyone about it.